


In Love and Nannying

by brokenpromisesandhope



Series: In love and Nannying One shots [1]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Aaron Hotchner has a big dick, Abortion mention, Alternate Universe - Nanny, Babysitting, Biracial Character, Character of Color, Crushes, Cunnilingus, Dirty Talk, Drinking, F/M, Flirting, Hot Tub, Jealousy, Kidnapping, Older Man/Younger Woman, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rejection, Rough Sex, Seduction, Sexual Tension, Smut, Swearing, Tension, Torture, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Violence, unprotected sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2016-08-03
Packaged: 2018-07-24 17:34:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7517197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brokenpromisesandhope/pseuds/brokenpromisesandhope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aaron needs a nanny for Jack.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm in love with this.  
> Xx  
> T

It's been three weeks since Hayley died and Aaron has to go back to work. He made the choice to stay in the BAU and not retire and now he had to go back on a case and he had no one to watch Jack. Hayley's sister was already back in Ohio. 

He still had three days but he had no clue how he was going to find someone. He's standing in his kitchen, starting chicken breast for dinner, when he decides to call JJ,  
"What's going on?"  
"Hey JJ, it's a personal call."  
"Sure, anything you need Hotch."  
"Do you know any good babysitters looking for work? I need someone to watch Jack while we're in North Carolina." 

"Hmm, I know a few I can give you the numbers of, but your best bet is probably a girl named Melanie Martin. She watched Henry a few times and I know she was looking for money. Do you want full time or what?"   
"Well maybe this trip can be a trial and then full care would be good, at least for the rest of the summer."   
"Okay, I'll text you her number then."   
"Thanks JJ."  
"No problem, see you soon." 

Aaron waits until Jack is sitting down with chicken and mashed potatoes and corn before he calls Melanie.   
"Hello?"  
"Hi, is this Melanie Martin?"  
"It is, who is this?"   
"My name is Aaron Hotchner and I work with Jennifer Jerau and she gave me your number as a babysitter."  
"Oh okay."  
"I have a five year old son named Jack and I'm looking for someone full time for the summer."  
"That sounds good. I'd be willing to meet with you and Jack and discuss things more in depth."   
"That's great Melanie, but here's the thing."   
"What?"  
"I'm going out of town on Thursday and I was hoping that could be a trial of you watching Jack and you let me know how it goes."   
"Okay, um, I could meet you for coffee tomorrow morning? And then if it goes well you can bring me to your place and show me around and I could watch Jack for a couple hours and see how he takes to me?"   
"That sounds great. Thank you for being so flexible. You want to do Starbucks at nine?"   
"Sure thing Mr. Hotchner."

Aaron is going to kill JJ. Literally strangle her. Or himself because he is disgusting. Melanie, who can't be more than twenty one is gorgeous. She's sitting outside Starbucks on a bench on her phone, when he sees her. She's got glowing brown skin and long curly brown hair. She has huge doe eyes covered in eyeliner, freckles and big lips painted pale pink. She's wearing a hot pink tank top that shows off her collarbones and cleavage and jean shorts. He should not be stating the way he is.   
"Hello, Melanie?"

She looks up from her phone startled, and smiles,   
"Mr Hotchner? Nice to meet you," she says, standing up, holding out a hand. He shakes it and then she bends down to Jack's level. Aaron looks up and says a quiet prayer.   
"Hi Jack, my name is Melanie. But you can call me Mel if you want. Nice to meet you."   
He squeezes a little closer to Aaron,   
"I like your shirt. Zootopia is my favorite movie."   
"Really?" He asks.   
"Yeah!"   
"Me too!"   
"Well great, now we have something in common. Should we go get something to drink?"   
"Yeah!" 

Aaron orders a plain black coffee and Jack gets a smoothie and a cake pop and after insisting he will pay, Melanie orders an iced caramel macchiato. They sit down at a round table in the corner of Starbucks.   
"So Melanie, tell me about yourself."  
"Well I'm nineteen and I love kids. I take a few classes at the community college downtown but I'm not sure what I want to do yet so I haven't done anything more than part time. I've been babysitting since I was twelve and I nannied for a bit last summer and I still do sometimes when my usual families go on adult vacations, but yeah." 

She's only nineteen, Jesus Christ. Aaron thinks. It's bad enough he's feeling attracted to someone when his wife just died, but now she's a damn child. He rubs a hand over his face, unconsciously placing a hand on the back of Jack's chair.   
"My wife died almost a month ago and I need someone to watch Jack while I work. My schedule is crazy and I never know when I'll be called away."  
Melanie frowns and reaches out to pat his hand that's still on the table,  
"I'm so sorry for your loss."   
Aaron nods,  
"Thank you. I just want Jack to be with someone I trust."  
"Well I hope I can help you out with that."

"Like I said I don't really know when I'd need you but it would probably be short notice. Do you have any other commitments?"  
"No. Classes are over for the summer and babysitting has definitely slowed down."   
"Where do you live?"  
"I live in an apartment about twenty minutes away."   
"That's not too bad. I figure maybe for this trip you can stay at my house band then if it's just a regular day at the office you can commute." 

"That's fine. How long would you want me to stay everyday?"   
"I'd probably need you from when I leave for work until Jack goes to bed. I leave at about seven, and Jack's bedtime is eight."   
"Okay. And this is every day unless you're on a case?"  
"Monday through Friday yes. Weekends I am not working, you can have off. If anything comes up just let me know."   
"And if I need to go somewhere I can take Jack?"  
"Of course. If you leave the city or anything I would like to know."   
"Of course," she takes a sip of her drink, "Now I hate to ask, but what are we thinking for salary?" 

"How much do you typically get paid?"  
"Well it varies by family and hours. This is the most full time I've ever been."   
"How about eight hundred a week?"  
"Mr. Hotchner, that seems like a little much." She says, shocked.  
"Not really. You'll be working like sixty hours a week."   
"But I'll just be watching Jack,"  
"Trust me, it's a lot harder than you think. Just try it, and tell me how if you still think it's too much. I just want you to be comfortable and wanting to work."   
She smiles,  
"I'm sure I'm going to love it." 

"For the three days I'm gone I'll give you five hundred. You can stay at my house of course. We can actually go there now if you'd like,"  
"Sure."  
"Jack, come on, we're gonna show Miss Melanie our house. She's going to watch you while I'm away."  
"Can I show her my ninja turtles?" Jack asks, looking up from playing a game on Aaron's phone.  
"Of course buddy, I would love to see them!" 

Aaron's house is amazing. It's on the rich side of town of course and its brick with gorgeous flowers in the front and cement stepping stones up to the front door. She pulls into the driveway behind Aaron's car and hops out. Aaron is unbuckling Jack when she walks up,   
"I'm going to need one of those," she says, gesturing to his booster seat. 

Aaron looks back at her junky car,  
"Um, would you mind driving my car when you're with him?"  
She laughs,  
"Not at all Mr. Hotchner."  
"Call me Aaron," he says, helping Jack down and leading them into the house.   
"I'm sorry it's a mess, we just moved in."  
"Don't worry about it," Melanie says. 

There's a fancy dining room that's filled with boxes, a living room with a tv and couch and the kitchen is huge with stainless steel appliances and a breakfast bar. Aaron shows her upstairs where there's Jack's room, two bathrooms, his room, and two guest bedrooms. He shows her the laundry room, where towels and Jack's clothes are. He shows her the alarm and then goes to show her the backyard. 

It's huge and nice as hell with a fire pit, underground pool and hot tub. There's a swing set and play ground for Jack as well as soccer nets and a huge shed,  
"Holy shit this is nice." Melanie says, "I mean, sorry, this is nice."  
Aaron laughs,  
"Yeah, Jack really likes it out here. There's a ton more toys in the shed, stuff for baseball, kickball, trucks, pool toys and floats, everything. He's a good swimmer but someone needs to be in the pool with him at all times and if he's in the deep end he needs his life jacket."   
"Okay sounds good."

He leads her back into the kitchen,   
"If you need something, just look. I don't cook much so if you need something, just buy it. You'll probably be doing most of the cooking anyway. I'll leave you one of my cards, you can get anything, Jack isn't really picky and I don't care as long as he's not eating fast food every day."  
"Got it."  
"Cleaning supplies in in this closet over here, I don't need everything to be crazy clean, but hopefully the common areas can stay nice."  
"Okay,"

"Jack typically gets up between six and seven and I can get him up and breakfast and stuff, I just need you here by seven so I can leave. I want him to play outside a lot. I'm definitely not against tv but I'd like to limit it to two hours a day. There's a computer downstairs too and there's games for him on it, as well as the iPad. They're mostly learning games so I'm not as strict about that because sometimes he can be a little monster. We typically eat around five or six but whenever is fine. But I try to lay down with him at like seven thirty so we can read a few books and then he needs to be on his way to sleep by eight." 

"Sounds good to me."  
"I know this is a lot but if you have any questions, just call me and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."  
"Sounds good Mr. Hotchner."  
"Call me Aaron, please."  
"Okay Aaron," Melanie says with a smile. 

It looks like Melanie is moving in to Aaron's house. Which is semi true, at least for he next three days. Her phone rings right as she starts lugging her suitcase down to her car.   
"Hello?"  
"Mel what's going on?"  
"Krista, hi!"  
"What are you doing?"  
"Bringing my stuff to my nannying job."   
"Ooh for the hot dad?"   
Melanie blushes,  
"Shut up."  
"Omg it is. Did you bring that cute lingerie you bought last month?"   
"Krista shut the hell up. Aaron's not even gonna be there."  
"Oooh, Aaron," she singsongs  
"Plus he's like twenty years older than me,"  
"So you're gross and like old men, I'm not judging."  
"His wife just died!"  
"So he could use some cheering up, fellatio style."  
"You're going to hell,"  
"I'll see you there sweetheart."  
"I gotta go."

Thank god she didn't have to be to Aaron's until nine, she finally pulled up at five to. Aaron comes out to greet her in a full suit and tie, and he looks so goddamn good. She's suddenly aware of the fact she's just wearing yoga legging capris and a tank,   
"Hey,"   
he looks her up and down,  
"Good morning, let me help you." 

She grabs two bags and he grabs her suitcase,  
"Gosh, have enough stuff?"  
"I have to always come prepared," she teases.   
Jack is sitting at the breakfast bar in his pajamas, hair mused, eating cereal,  
"Miss Melanie!"  
"Hi Jack."   
"Do you have any last minute questions?" Aaron asks, pouring himself some coffee into a travel mug.   
"Yes, can I have some of that?" 

Aaron smiles and pours her a mug and she goes to the fridge to find creamer,  
"What are you looking for?"  
"Coffee creamer. But I forgot you're gross,"  
"Black coffee is better for you."  
"It's also disgusting." She says, sticking out her tongue.   
"Feel free to go buy some. My card is on the counter. You'll probably have to buy stuff for dinner because I'm pretty sure we have nothing." 

She laughs,   
"Okay, Jack and I will make a trip."  
"Anything else you need?" He asks, taking a drink of his coffee.   
Melanie stares at him,   
"Come here."  
He raises an eyebrow but steps closer to her and she steps into his space. He smells delicious, strong and sharp and masculine and she reaches up to straighten his tie, when she's done she pats his chest and steps away,  
"Now you're ready."   
He smiles,  
"Thanks. Call me if you need anything, I mean it."   
"I will."  
Aaron gives Jack a hug, waves one last time and then he's gone. 

Melanie gets Jack ready, does the couple dishes from breakfast and then moves all her stuff into one of the guest bedrooms. She's got a lot of shit, and she lets Jack play either blocks in the hallway, while she creates some semblance of order. When she's done she makes Jack clean up and goes to pack him a bag. It's not like he needs a diaper bag at his age, but she wants something to keep with her in case they get stuck in traffic or he gets bored while she's shopping or something. 

She knows this is technically a trial, but she knows Aaron and Jack like her so she's just planning ahead. She packs a few action figures, hand sanatizer, the iPad and charger, lotion, Chapstick, extra shorts and underwear, a sweatshirt, and some water. Aaron has no snacks in the house so she decides that's on the list. 

Jack is a very good listener, and Melanie straps him in a heads to the store. It doesn't take long to find the grocery store and Melanie knows she's in for a long trip. She gives Jack a water and the iPad and starts down the aisles. She planned on making spaghetti tonight, chicken fajitas the next and then pork chops. That way when Aaron got home he wouldn't have to cook and could have his pick. 

She buys fresh veggies and fruit for their lunches and snacks, as well as beef, chicken breasts and pork. She buys tortillas and cheese and sour cream and milk for Jack and coffee creamer. She buys Popsicles because it's supposed to be in the nineties this weekend and a frozen pizza for lunch one of the days. She lets Jack pick out what kind of fruit snacks and granola bars he would like. She also buys goldfish and popcorn. 

She ends up opening the granola bars to give Jack one because he starts complaining when they get in the pasta aisle. She grabs the rest of her ingredients and quickly checks out, pleased she spent under a hundred dollars and got so much. 

Unpacking the groceries is hell, everything is heavy and Jack is whining for lunch. She has to stop half way through to get him a cheese quesadilla and an apple,   
"Are you good?" She asks, parking him in front of the tv.   
"Yeah, I love this show!"  
"Okay, just one show and then we're going outside okay?"   
"Okay!" 

She manages to get the rest of the groceries in and the things that need to be refrigerated in there, before she eats a quick quesadilla and then heads to bring Jack outside. The rest of the dishes can wait. 

For the next two hours they play baseball and soccer, and Melanie is exhausted by the time she can break away because her phone is ringing,  
"Hello?" She asks, slightly out of breath from jogging up to the deck to grab her phone.  
"Hey, it's Aaron,"  
"Aaron, hey."  
"How's it going?"  
"It's good."  
"You sound tired."  
"We're playing soccer, and I'm a little out of shape," she laughs.   
"I think you look great, I mean,"  
Melanie blushes,  
"Thank you."  
"How's the case?" 

"Difficult. I was actually calling to give you a heads up that I might have to stay longer. Nothing is for sure yet, but just to plant the seed."  
"Okay, no that's fine. It's going great."   
"Good. I've gotta go. But I'll call Jack tonight."  
"Sounds good, bye." 

"Miss Melanie I wanna go inside!"  
"We're having fun aren't we?"  
"I'm hot." Jack complains, flopping on the deck at her feet.   
"Okay, you can go play in the house. I'm gonna be putting the groceries away."  
"Okay!" 

By four Melanie has all Jack's snacks packed in his bag, the kitchen semi clean and she's drinking a Coke, watching some tv. She's halfway through a rerun of the real housewives when she realizes Jack hasn't been down since twenty minutes ago. She heads upstairs to check on him and finds him knocked out on the floor surrounded by Legos. 

She sends a snapchat to Krista, and saves the picture before texting it to Aaron, 

From: your number   
To: Aaron Hotchner   
Everything's going good. He's adorable. 

She pockets her phone, she isn't expecting a text back anyway and cleans up his toys. She decides to let him sleep and heads down to start dinner. It can be an early bedtime. 

Jack wakes up about five minutes for the spaghetti is done. He wanders down the stairs, rubbing his eyes and crying.   
"What's wrong Jack?" Melanie asks, walking towards him.   
"I want my mommy." He cries loudly.   
"Jack buddy," she tries to pick him up but he backs away,  
"You're not my mommy! I want my mommy! I want my mommy right now!"   
"I don't-"  
"I want my mommy!" He sobs. 

"How about we call your daddy? Should we call him?"  
Jack stops crying for a moment and stares at her,   
"Fine."  
She grabs her phone and dials Aaron's number, handing the phone to Jack. She hopes Aaron answers because she has no clue what to do otherwise. 

"Daddy," Jack says into the phone, "I want you to come home! I want you and mommy! I don't want Miss Melanie anymore!"   
Melanie stands there, biting her lip.  
"I know. I know! You really promise? I'm not mean! I didn't try to I promise. Will you be home soon? Okay. I love you daddy." Then he hands the phone to Melanie. 

"Hi, I'm sorry to bother you but he was crying for his mom and-"  
"It's perfectly fine. You can call me anytime."  
"Okay, good."   
"He should be fine now, at least I hope. If not I would just turn on a movie and give him some melatonin and he'll go to sleep. I don't want him to work himself up too much or he gets sick."   
"Okay. Um, thank you. I'll try, hopefully it's fine."   
"It will be fine, I promise. I'm sure you're doing just fine with him."  
"Thanks Mr. Hotchner, I gotta go." 

"Jack, do you want to watch a movie and have a Popsicle?"   
Jack nods, thumb in his mouth, "Okay, you can have it, only if you promise to still eat dinner."   
He nods again.   
"Okay, go get out a movie and I'll get your Popsicle."   
She grabs a towel from the cupboard and sets it on the floor for him and puts on zootopia. When the movie starts she hands him a red Popsicle and goes to finish dinner. 

By the time dinner is done, Jack is sleeping again, curled up on the floor, red juice all over his face. Melanie sighs and picks him up, not wanting to risk waking him up again and startling him that both his parents are gone. She carries him up to his bed and takes his shoes and jeans off, then wiping his mouth with a rag. She'll have to give him a bath in the morning. She leaves his nightlight on and the hall light and goes down to eat. 

Once she eats, she cleans and does the dishes and cleans up Jack's mess and the living room. She puts all the leftovers away and goes upstairs to shower, she's in bed herself by nine o'clock and she falls asleep right away. 

The next day seems to go better. Jack wakes her up at sixty forty five and she immediately goes to start a pot of coffee. Once she's got one cup in her, she pours another and shuts off the computer, leading Jack to the bathroom. He ends up taking forty five minutes because he likes to play and Melanie ends up almost as wet as him. 

She helps Jack pick out his outfit and get dressed, brush his teeth and hair and then sets him up with breakfast which is toast and a banana. She pours herself another cup of coffee and rushes to get ready while he's still eating. She throws on a sundress, puts her hair in a braid and manages to finish her eyebrows, eyeliner and mascara and lipstick before he's calling for her. 

She packs them a lunch and brings them to the park where she chases him up and down the slides and around the swings and monkey bars. She makes a mental note to ask Aaron for the numbers of his friends, because she is exhausted by the time Jack tackles her into the grass and demands lunch. 

They eat sandwiches and walk around the lake and she lets Jack throw bread to the ducks. She has to carry him back to the car because he'd been whining that his legs hurt and he's nearly asleep as she buckles him in. 

She decides to stop at Starbucks and get herself some more coffee because the house is still a mess from when Jack was playing this morning, and she hadn't cleaned up the backyard from the previous day. 

Jack of course wakes up the second she orders her coffee and demands a smoothie which of course she gives him, and a cake pop because he's just so cute and sweet.   
"You have to help me clean the house then. This is going to give us energy."   
"I need energy!" Jack says loudly, grabbing his smoothie from her. 

She laughs,   
"I'm sure you do!"   
Melanie helps Jack out of the car and he runs in the house,  
"I have energy! I have energy!"   
Melanie laughs and cleans his garbage and all of their bags out of the car. 

"Okay Jack, I need you to pick up all of your toys from the living room and put them away. I'm going to do our dishes from our picnic and start marinating the chicken."   
"What's maritating?" Jack asks.  
"Marinating. I'm putting the chicken in a special sauce so it will taste good."   
"I like chicken!"   
"I know you do."   
"Is daddy coming home for dinner?"   
"No buddy, he's out of town. Remember? That's why I'm here." 

"But I want daddy!"  
"Don't you like hanging out with me?"   
"Yeah I do but my daddy is the best!"  
"I'm fun too. We can have fun for a few days by ourselves and then your daddy is coming back."  
"Okay, I guess."  
"Now go clean!" 

"Can we go swimming Miss Melanie?"  
"You want to?"  
"Yes!"  
"Did you clean the living room?"   
"Yes!"   
"Good job. I'm glad all your toys are put away. Go get your suit on and we can go."   
She sets aside the peppers she was chopping and also thinks about starting a chore chart for Jack. 

She heads upstairs to put on her own swimsuit and grabs two towels from the closet. She goes to check on Jack and he's putting on a pair of swim trunks,  
"Alright buddy, are you ready to go?"  
"Yes!"

They head downstairs and she sets out the towels on the pool chairs.   
"Oh dang, come with me we have to put sunscreen on."  
"I don't want to!"  
"Jack, let's go."   
"I don't want to!"   
"Jack, if you don't put sunscreen on, you're not going."   
He pouts,   
"Fine."

She gets into the bathroom and sets him on the counter, applying the lotion heavily. He's so pale, she doesn't want him to burn. She normally only puts sunscreen on her face, she prefers to get a little darker in the summer but when she tries to get Jack down from the counter he shakes his head,  
"No! You have to put some on!"   
"Okay fine." 

She lathers up the sunscreen on her arms, chest, stomach and legs,  
"Can you out some on my back buddy?"   
Jack rubs the sunscreen on her back and then rests his hands on her shoulders,  
"Miss Melanie,"  
"What Jack?"  
"I really like your skin color."  
She laughs,  
"Thanks buddy."

He grabs her shoulders and jumps on her back and she carries him outside. She drags floaties and pool toys and Jack's life jacket out of the shed and drags them over. She straps Jack into his life jacket and then he jumps in the pool. She follows after him, walking down the stairs. The pool is super nice and has a diving board. 

Jack splashes around her until she comes fully in and then he hops out running to the diving board,  
"Miss Melanie watch me! Watch me! Watch me!" 

The next couple hours are filled with Jack's yelling and them both jumping in and doing tricks. Finally Melanie is waterlogged and pulls herself out of the pool,  
"Alright Jack, time to get out."   
"No! I don't want to!"  
"Aren't you hungry? I have to start dinner."  
"No I wanna swim!"   
"Jack, let's go."  
"No!"  
"Why are you being so difficult today? Do you want a Popsicle?"   
"Yeah!"   
"Then you gotta get out." 

Melanie wraps herself and Jack in a towel, checking her phone and seeing it's almost five o'clock. She groans she sets Jack on the towel in front of the tv and grabs him a Popsicle, hurrying to get dinner started. 

By the time dinner is done its six and she knows Jack's starving because she is. She gets him a plate, his tortilla just having chicken and cheese on it, as well as some refried beans on the side.   
"I don't want this," Jack says, climbing up into his chair.   
"You haven't even tried this. It's chicken."   
"It looks gross!"   
"Jack, no it doesn't."   
"I don't like it!"   
"You haven't even tried it." 

"I know that it's gross!!!"   
"Jack, you better sit down and eat right now."  
"No! I want mcdonalds! This food is gross."  
"You're not having McDonald's, I made you dinner and you're going to eat it."   
"No! This is gross!"  
"You need to take at least one bite."   
"No!"  
"Jack Hotchner! Take a bite of that food right now." 

Before she even sees it coming Jack is flipping the plate at her, spilling the food over her neck and chest. He must see what a huge mistake it is because his eyes get wide and his mouth drops,  
"What in the hell is wrong with you!" She shouts.   
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he says, starting to cry. 

What the fuck. Melanie thinks to herself. She goes upstairs to hop in the shower quickly. She washes herself off and then climbs out, tugging on a pair of shorts and a tank top. She grabs her purse and phone and storms downstairs. Jack is still crying, but she's so pissed she doesn't care,  
"Let's go." 

He hops off the chair and follows her. She doesn't even put shoes on him, just carries him to the car and straps him in,   
"What do you want from McDonalds?" She demands, backing out of the garage.  
"Chicken nuggets." He says quietly.   
She pulls into the nearest McDonald's drive thru,  
"Hi, can I get a six piece chicken nugget happy meal and a Big Mac meal with a large chocolate shake." 

"I want ice cream!" Jack shouts.  
"No." Melanie says.   
"I want ice cream!" He screams.   
"That's all," Melanie says, pulling off.   
"I hate you! You didn't get me ice cream! I hate you!" Jack screams.   
"Okay, that's fine." 

Melanie pays and heads back to the house, Jack crying the whole time. She gets him in the house and sits him at the table, chicken nuggets, French fries and milk in front of him,  
"You better eat every single bite." 

She leans against the counter watching him as she drinks her shake and eats her burger. Jack acts like he doesn't want to eat but eventually does.   
"It's bedtime. Go brush your teeth and I'll be up there in a minute."   
"I-"   
"Jack, I really don't want to hear it right now. You really hurt my feelings. Please go brush your teeth and get on your pajamas and I'll be up there soon." 

Melanie finishes her food, puts away the food she actually cooked and loads the dishwasher before she goes upstairs. Jack is laying in bed, reading a book,  
"Miss Melanie."  
"What jack?" She sighs, she's tired and irritated and just wants to go to bed.   
"I'm sorry."  
"It's fine."  
"I was being really mean. I'm sorry."   
"It's okay Jack. Let's just not let it happen again."   
"Will you lay with me for a little bit?"   
"Of course." 

The next three days go better. Jack only has a couple of meltdowns which are solved with ice cream and extra tv time. Aaron said he was coming home today but Melanie has no clue when. She spends the day cleaning and when Aaron still isn't home at seven, she puts away the dinner she'd made. 

When Jack is finally in bed, she puts on her swimsuit so she can relax in the hot tub. She grabs a Coke and heads out, starting to play some music quietly from her phone. 

Aaron comes home and he's exhausted, and thankful that Jack is asleep, no matter how much he misses him. He sets his briefcase down and shrugs off his suit coat and tie.   
"Melanie? Melanie?" He asks. She doesn't respond and he walks through the kitchen and then the living room when he hears music. 

He walks outside and sees Melanie in the horrible, leaning her head back against the edge, eyes closed  
"Melanie?"   
She startles and let's out a yelp,  
"Shit, Mr. Hotchner you're back!"   
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."   
"No it's fine. It's just been a long few days."  
"That bad?"   
"No, just different." 

"Want to join me?" She asks smiling.  
"I shouldn't."   
"Then I'll get out. Are you hungry?"   
"A bit."  
"Well good, I made tons of food. There's chicken fajitas, spaghetti, pork chops, burgers-"   
"Oh my god, you're amazing."  
She laughs,   
"Well when I saw your cupboard was empty I figured you hadn't eaten a decent meal in awhile, so I wanted to make you some." 

She stands up and then calculates how she's going to get out and Aaron walks over so he can pull her out. She grabs his hands and helps her out. Aaron's mouth goes a little dry and he tries not to stare. Melanie's body is ridiculous. Her breasts are nice and pushed up in a hot pink swimsuit top, her stomach isn't perfectly toned at all, her belly button is pierced and she's wearing white bottoms. She has muscular thighs and calfs and Aaron lets go of her immediately. 

"Let's go get you something to eat," she says, wrapping a towel around her waist. Aaron leads her into the house, shutting and locking the door behind her, "What do you want?"   
"Pork chops sound good to me."  
She grabs him a beer, handing it to him and makes him a plate of pork chops, mashed potatoes and corn. 

She heats it up, leaning against the counter, arms crossed which only push her boobs up even more. Aaron takes a swig of his drink,  
"So do you want to stay?"  
Melanie smiles,  
"I'd love to."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I love this. At least two more parts.   
> Xx  
> T

The next few weeks go well. Aaron goes on one trip and her and Jack get more used to her. She feels more like a stay at home wife and mom without the benefits of getting laid. 

The sexual tension is killing her. She feels it and she's pretty sure Aaron does too. They've been seeing each other every morning and night for the last thirteen days. Melanie usually moses in, tired and in her pajamas. Aaron greets her with a smile and a cup of coffee and she pretends not to notice that he stares at her ass in her night shorts as she climbs the stairs to Jack's room. 

She'd taken to packing him lunches because there were so many leftovers and cooking dinner for him almost every night. At night he comes in and plays with Jack for a bit while Melanie finishes dinner. They tease each other and his eyes linger a little bit when she bends over and her hand lingers a bit when he passes her the salt. 

When he comes home and has to all but kick them out of the pool, he has a bad staring problem, leading them to both blush at each other. 

Aaron is leaving on a business trip tomorrow and Jack is already asleep and Aaron is sitting at the table, drinking scotch and going over his files. Melanie comes down the stairs from laying with Jack,  
"What are you doing?"  
"Work."  
"You do enough of that. Come in the hot tub with me." 

"I shouldn't," Aaron says taking a drink.   
"Come on, please."   
"I really should be looking at these files,"   
Melanie pouts and bounces on her tip toes, causing all her lovely curves to jiggle,   
"Okay. I will. Let me go get my suit on."  
"You can always swim nude," she says with a dramatic wink.  
"You can always look for another job," he says, walking past her. 

She grabs his waist, slotting against his side, trying not to think about how firm and hard his body is,  
"Yeah right, both of my boys love me too much," she says smiling up at him. He swallows hard and pats her on the head,  
"That is true. I'll meet you out there." 

"You could have got in without me," Aaron says, walking out on the deck. Melanie has never even seen him outside of a suit so this is- different. He's more built than he looks and he looks good for his age. She doesn't know exactly how old he is but it's probably pushing forty. She's disgusting. His arms are big but not scary big and his chest is lightly dusted with dark hair and his happy trail is thick and black. 

"You get in and then help me."   
Aaron rolls his eyes, but steps into the hot tub, before reaching two hands out for her to grab. She gingerly steps in, one foot almost to the bottom where the other one slips and she falls in. Aaron's still holding her and she crashes into him, both of them knocking onto the side. 

Aaron falls into a seat and Melanie ends up on his lap, face mushed into his neck. He smells amazing.   
"See, this is why I needed help."  
"So you could take me down with you?"  
She winks,  
"Exactly."   
She rests on his lap, arms braced on the outside of the tub on either side of him. They just stare at each other for a few seconds before his hands find their way to her hips. 

"So are you ready to go out town?"   
"Not at all."  
"I know we're just so hard to leave and all. Jack provides the entertainment and I provide the good looks."  
"I think Jack provides the tantrums and you provide the pain in my ass."  
Melanie laughs loudly,  
"Oh really? You don't say that when you're eating my food. Especially my cookies," she says suggestively. 

Aaron stares at her mouth, before pulling back slightly, realizing how close they've gotten,  
"Mel-"  
Melanie closes the distance between them and kisses him softly. He's a good kisser, firm and unrelenting, but he only kisses her for a couple seconds before he pulls away,  
"Melanie, I can't, I'm not-" 

He's not attracted to her, she's not good enough, he's still in love with his wife, he can't with a black girl, these all run through her mind and she slides off his lap,  
"Wow, fuck I am sorry. I thought we were on the same page, but we are clearly not, I am sorry." She scrambles to get out of the hot tub.   
"Melanie, wait,"  
She slips off the top and falls into the railing and tries not to wince as she all by runs into the house. 

She'd been planning on staying in the guest bedroom since Aaron had to be at the airport at six so she's not surprised when Jack wakes her up and he's gone. He hasn't left a note or anything which is new and panic immediately fills her stomach. Of course he wasn't attracted to her. He was probably just trying to be nice and ignore her advances and she threw herself at him! Her boss! She's gonna lose her fucking job. Which she loves, and makes good ass money for. 

She sends Jack to brush his teeth and she calls Aaron,   
"Hello?"  
"Hey, Aaron it's Melanie."  
"Is Jack okay?"   
"Yeah, he's fine, I was just calling to say-"  
"I'm sorry, I'm really busy. I'll call you when I can." And he hangs up. 

Melanie fights the urge to throw her phone against the wall and heads downstairs. She makes herself a pot of coffee and heats up a poptart for Jack, setting it on the coffee table and turning on the tv. 

She pours herself a cup of coffee and sits at the breakfast bar, calling her friend Krista,  
"You kissed the hot dad!"  
"Yes!"  
"And he pushed you off and just left."  
"Yes!"  
"He didn't say why?"  
"Well it can probably be a variety of things. The fact I could be his fucking daughter, the fact he's widowed, the fact he's my boss-"   
"Fuck all those reasons!"  
"I wish. But clearly it's not gonna happen again. I just hope I don't get fired."   
"You're not gonna get fired because whether he wants to admit it or not he has the hots for you."   
"Then why did he push me away?"  
"I don't know, cause older guys have fucking morals or something? Anyway, I'm coming to pick you up and we're gonna get you all dressed up and when Aaron comes you're gonna be like this is what you could have had and then go on a date with a hot ass guy."

"But I don't want to go on a date with anyone else."  
"Well he doesn't need to know that. Trust me, jealousy works on guys of all ages. And not that you don't look good now but we need to go back to the Brett Turner days."  
"You mean my slutty days?"  
"Well yes, but anyway, get ready. We have a busy day ahead of us."   
"Did you forget I have a five year old?"   
"We'll keep him entertained, it'll be fine." 

They go to the hair salon and she gets her hair straightened and side bangs. She gets round acrylics and a pedicure lash extensions and a bikini wax. She hasn't waxed in months, just shaved and she yells at Krista the whole time. By the time they make it to the mall, Jack is worn out and in his stroller playing on his iPad and eating a mall pretzel,   
"Just a few outfits and we will be out of here I promise." 

Two hours later they stop at Taco Bell on the way home for dinner and her and Jack both fall asleep on the couch. 

Aaron was supposed to be back around seven and it was now almost nine. Not that she really had a date, but she had put a lot of effort into getting ready and she was mad regardless that Aaron just thought he could keep her waiting like this. 

Her hair was perfectly straight and she wore winged eyeliner and red lipstick. She had on a skin tight white dress that spilled out just the right amount of cleavage and silver heels. It was a quarter after nine when she finally heard the garage door open. 

She got up from her spot at he breakfast bar and walked to meet him at the door, grabbing her purse,   
"Aaron, where have you been?"   
He looks up and he looks exhausted, eyes dull and slight purple bags under them. Now is not the time to be concerned dammit!   
"I was supposed to meet a date at nine!" 

"You look, wow, I love your hair."  
"Thank you. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go."  
"Where?"  
"On a date."  
"With a guy?"  
"Yes," she says slowly, trying to step around him.   
"Wait, can we, um talk about something work related?"   
Melanie sighs,   
"Can it wait? I was supposed to be off the clock two hours ago."   
"No it can't." Aaron snaps. 

Melanie halts and backs up so here standing face to face and crosses her arms over her chest,   
"What?"   
"I want you to switch to in home."   
Melanie sighs,  
"This is what couldn't wait until tomorrow?"   
"I want you to start immediately. Tonight. As in I need you to stay here."  
"What? Why? Because I have a date?"   
"Of course not." He says too quickly. 

She rolls her eyes,  
"Oh really? I'm not going to have any privacy here."  
"What do you mean?"  
"What do I mean? I mean what if I want to fuck someone."  
"What?"  
"Fuck someone," she over annunciates, "Like I was going to do tonight. You're going to let me bring someone into your house and fuck them?"   
"You're not going to be fucking anyone."  
Melanie snorts,  
"See this is why in home isn't going to work."   
"Let me reiterate, you're not going to be fucking anyone but me."

Melanie's eyes widen and he grabs her by the hips and pushes her against the wall right by the staircase. He slots his mouth against hers and kisses her hard, forcing his tongue into her mouth. She kisses him back eagerly, tangling her hands into his hair and pulling and he lets out a loud groan, picking her up. 

She wraps her legs around his wait and he presses her against the wall. She breaks away panting and his moves to her neck, sucking and biting.   
"The only person you're going to be fucking is me. I'm going to bend you over every surface of this house until me fucking you is second nature."  
Aaron bucks against her and soon he's trying to slide his hands up the side of her dress. It's too tight to get very far and he grabs both sides and rips a slit up to her breast.   
"What the fuck! This is new!"  
"I'll buy you another," he growls, sliding two fingers into her panties to rub along her slit. She moans loudly, throwing her head back against the wall. 

His fingers are thick as they push into her and she moans as he tries to find her gspot,  
"Come on Aaron fuck me, please!"  
"Want you to come for me first. Want you to gush all over my hand and scream my name and then I'll fuck you so hard you'll forget everything but my name."

Aaron's voice is near a growl and it's making Melanie so wet. He fucks his fingers in quickly, sliding over her gspot and his rough thumb starts circling her clit. He rests his forehead against the wall near hers so he can whisper into her ear,   
"Come for me Mel, come so I can fuck your sweet little pussy," he bites her earlobe and she moans, her hips thrusting and trying to jerk against his hand. 

His hand is soaking by now and his fingers move quicker and she squeezes his shoulders tighter and crushes her mouth to his. She thrusts her tongue into his mouth and then let's him take over, biting at her bottom lip,  
"Come on baby, come for me," he rasps against her mouth. 

It only takes a few more minutes and then Melanie's arching her back and screaming Aaron's name. Aaron pulls her away from the wall and sets her on the stairs. He throws off his shirt and unbuttons his pants, sliding them and the boxers off.   
"Come on, please." She begs. 

And then he's on her, wrapping one Of her legs around his waist and thrusting inside. She's wet and hot and tight as fuck, almost like she's trying to push him back out,  
"Fuck," she curses and it doesn't seem like a good way.   
"What's wrong?"  
"You're big as fuck, give me a minute," 

Aaron raises an eyebrow,   
"What?"  
"Your cock. Is huge. I'm tiny."  
Aaron blushes and stutters,   
"I'm, it's not, I'm not-"  
Melanie experimentally rolls her hips, moaning in pleasure this time,   
"Aaron, your cock is big. Take it from me," she winks and then yanks him down for a kiss. 

He moans and slowly pulls out and fucks back in,   
"Harder," she moans into his mouth. He buries his face into her neck and fucks her so hard the stair starts creaking. She's moaning loudly and clenching around him and this is gonna be over fast. He brings his hand down to pinch at her clit so she can come with him and a few minutes later it's over and he's spilling inside her. 

Melanie wakes up and Aaron's gone of course. Jack jumped on her bed and she groaned, sitting up,   
"Jack, what are we gonna do today buddy?"   
"Have fun!"   
She laughs,   
"We have fun every day don't we?"   
"Yes!"  
"Good, now go brush your teeth." 

Melanie slides out of bed and grabs her phone. She stands up and heads to the bathroom, wincing with every step.   
"I have a fucking limp. You're kidding me." She mutters to herself, getting into the shower. 

She's used to taking five minute showers so she can be out to watch Jack, but her body is sore and her hips have bruises. She's relaxing in the steaming heat and watching the water and leftover semen circle the drain, when it hits her.   
"Fuck!" 

She hops out of the shower and quickly dresses in a pair of yoga pants and a tank top. She makes her way downstairs and sees Jack sitting at the breakfast bar eating cereal.   
"Well you're such a good boy. I have to make a quick phone call and then we can do something fun!"   
"Okay! What?"  
"I haven't decided yet, but you need to get dressed after you eat okay?"   
"Okay Miss Melanie!" 

Melanie starts a pot of coffee and then limps her way to the back porch and dials Aaron's number,  
"Hey," he says softly, answering the phone.  
"Hey,"   
"Is Jack okay?"   
"Yeah he's fine. Um, I just realized that you didn't use a condom last night."   
There's a pause, "Oh."  
"I was going to pick up a plan b pill and realized that maybe I should ask you?"   
"Why?"  
"I don't know, some people think it's like abortion or some shit."   
"But it's your body."  
She smiles,   
"I knew I liked you for a reason."

"Just put it on my card."  
"I can pay for it."   
"No, I've got it. I should have worn a condom."  
"Want me to grab some when I'm at the the store?"   
"No, that's okay."  
"What do you mean?" She asks confused.   
"Look, can we talk about this later?"  
"No we can talk about it right now." 

"You and I, that, that isn't going to happen again."  
"What do you mean?"  
"We can't."  
"Why not?"  
"I just, I can't."  
"What did I do?"  
"You, you didn't do anything."  
"Am I fired?"  
"No of course not. I told you I want you to be a live in, I'm not gonna fire you."  
"Oh you just want me to walk past the spot you threw me down and fucked me on every day?"   
"Melanie, I'm sorry."   
"Did you think about this is going to make me feel? Did you think about me at all or were you just a little horny and I was convenient?" 

"Of course not-"  
"You just want me to watch your kid and cook for you and clean and occasionally spread my legs is that it?"   
"No, god no. Of course not. Do you, do you want to quit?" He asks, almost like he's scared to hear the answer.   
"No, of course not. I love Jack. He's had enough people in his life leave him, but that's not the point."   
"I, I-"  
"Whatever. I need to go get this pill. Better start the cramps sooner rather than later. Bye." She hangs up and heads back into the house. 

Jack is sitting on the couch reading a book,  
"Are you ready!"  
"Sure am buddy. Go get your shoes on."  
"What are we going to do?"  
"How about we go see a movie?"  
"Yay!"  
"What would you like to see?"  
"Dory!"   
"Sounds good to me, we just have to stop at the store first." 

Plan b is no joke and no fun and she's already having cramps and feeling nauseous by the time she gets to the movies. She purchases them tickets and popcorn and gets Jack an icee. She curls up in the reclining chair and tries not to focus on the cramps. 

The get worse as the movie goes on and when they leave the theater she starts to feel dizzy. The ride back to the house is short and she puts in a pizza for lunch. When she finally gives Jack some, she sets him up with a movie and curls up to take a nap on the couch. 

Melanie wakes up to a light hand on her shoulder shaking her and she bolts up,   
"What?"   
It's Aaron and he's staring at her concerned,  
"What's wrong?"  
"Nothing. What time is it? Where's Jack?"  
"He's in bed. I thought I'd let you sleep a little longer but I figured you'd be more comfortable in your own bed." 

Her stomach growls,   
"Id be more comfortable if I was eating. Shit, I didn't cook. And Jack was by himself."   
"It's fine, he just played and watched tv. He told me you were sick. I was worried," he reaches towards her and she shrugs away,   
"It's side effects of the pill. Don't touch me."   
"How long does it last?"   
"I'll be fine tomorrow."   
"Well what is it like?"  
"I don't know Aaron, my fucking uterus cramping." 

He steps back,   
"You don't have to be so-"  
She glares,  
"Are you fucking kidding me? I thought I had great sex last night and I wake up with a limp and hickies and to the guy saying he never wants to do it again but I have to keep working for him pretending we didn't have sex or ignoring how it made me feel or what the hell ever. Then I take this bullshit ass pill and I've been sick all day, so excuse me for being a bitch!" 

He steps toward her,  
"Melanie, please,"  
"Don't touch me! Don't. Just, I don't know, find movers to move my stuff over here. I'd like it done by next week if I'm staying. Jack has a few play dates and it's going to get busy."  
"Melanie-"  
"You don't want to sleep with me or be with me so I don't have to explain anything to you. You're my boss and nothing else, right?"   
Aaron just stares at her,  
"That's what I thought. Goodnight Aaron".


	3. Chapter 3

The next month is long. Its the last month of summer and it is awkward. Well that could be because Melanie keeps wearing short shorts and cleavagey tank tops because she knows Aaron is into her, he's just too stubborn to admit it. 

Aaron is supposed to be coming back tonight from a trip and then tomorrow they're going school supply shopping for Jack. It's only ten in the morning and Melanie and Jack are in the kitchen making chocolate chip pancakes for a late breakfast.   
"Alright, I measured out the powder buddy, you add it in." 

Jack pours it in and then Melanie hands him the measuring cup with water and he pours it in. Then he dumps in the chocolate chips and she watches him stir it.   
"Are you ready to go back to school Jack?"  
"No! I want to stay home with you!"  
"You have to go to school to get smart."   
"I want to be smart like you!"  
She laughs,  
"How about like your daddy." 

"When is daddy going to be back?"  
"He said around dinner time."  
"What are we going to do today?"  
"We could go swimming or go to the park."  
"I want to go to the park and play!"  
"Okay, we can go after breakfast."

Jack only lasts about an hour at the park and then Melanie brings him home. He plays on his iPad while she prepares chicken enchiladas for later. Aaron had told her that those were his favorite. He'd been on two back to back cases and he hadn't seen Jack or had a homemade meal in almost two weeks. 

Melanie decides to get Jack in the bath early so he can stay up with his dad for a bit. The enchiladas are in the oven and jack is just getting out of the tub when they hear the garage door open. Jack runs down the stairs in his towel and Melanie follows him. 

Aaron looks exhausted, face long, bruises under his eyes. He squeezes Jack and kisses his heads,  
"How are you buddy?"  
"I'm good daddy. I missed you!"  
"I missed you too buddy."   
He picks Jack up and makes his way to Melanie, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close,  
"How have you been?"  
"I've been good, you?" 

He kisses her forehead,   
"It's been a really long few days."  
She winces,  
"That bad?"   
He nods and finally lets her go and she smiles at him, rubbing his arm,  
"Dinners almost ready. Do you want to shower first?"   
"Yeah, that sounds great. I'll help Jack get dressed too."   
"Okay." 

Melanie sets the table, gets milk for Jack and scotch for Aaron, a glass of water for herself. She dishes everyone enchiladas and rice and soon Aaron comes down, hair still damp, wearing a long sleeve shirt and sweatpants. Jack's right behind him and Aaron sits down, immediately downing his scotch. 

Melanie pours him another and dinner is quiet. Aaron looks haunted but still entertains Jack, but Melanie can tell something is off. Jack strangely doesn't complain when she brings him to bed and only reads one book. 

When she gets back down the bottle of scotch so significantly less full than before and she estimates he's had about three glasses since she's been upstairs.   
"Aaron are you okay?"   
He looks up at her, downing his glass,   
"Can I just, hold you?" He asks, eyes glassy. 

She stares at him, but moves closer and he wraps his arms around her, squeezing tight,  
"It was horrible. Normally I don't get as upset by my work, I've seen a lot of horrible shit and I'm going to see even more horrible shit. A team, a woman and a man were taking families hostage, torturing them and killing each member. Children first, then the mother and finally the father." 

Melanie rubs his back,  
"It's okay. You caught them."  
Aaron pulls her away and hold her at an arms length,   
"I just don't want you to leave."  
"Where would I go? I got my boys right here," she reassures him.   
"I'm not your boy. I'm just your boss-"  
She stands on her tip toes and wraps her arms around his neck,  
"We can change that. I want to change that," she whispers. 

His eyes are so beautiful and bloodshot and he glances down at her lips,   
"We can't."   
"Why? You afraid I'm gonna report you to the nanny rights committee?"  
"Is there one of those?"  
She laughs,   
"I don't know. All I know is I like you, and I want to-"  
"You're so young, you don't know what you want,"

"Literally I'm already practically your wife. I take care of your house, your son, you. Let me take care of you in the good ways."   
"You could be my daughter," he says softly, staring down at her."  
"You can't be that old,"   
"I'm forty two."  
"And I'm gross," she says with a half smile.  
"Me too."  
"Oh whatever, men get praised for what women get shamed for." 

He nods,  
"I know. But still, how are we going to explain that?"  
"Who needs to know?"  
"You don't think people are going to ask?"  
"It's none of their goddamn business."   
"You have so much time ahead of you. You can go to school, and have your own kids and get married?"  
"Why can't I do those things with you?"   
"I'm damaged goods. I'll always love Hayley."   
"I know that. But that doesn't mean there's not room in your heart to love someone else." 

Aaron rests his forehead against hers,   
"Please don't."  
"Don't what?"  
"Make this seem logical."  
"Why not?"   
"Because I can't say no to you."  
"You don't have to," Melanie says, kissing him. 

He tastes like liquor and he grips her waist tight,  
"Mel, we can't-"  
"I'm an adult, you're an adult-"   
"We really-"  
"Fine. If you don't want to be in a relationship we can just be friends with benefits."  
"Benefits?"  
"Like mutual orgasms."  
"I don't know,"  
"Come on Aaron, don't you want to fuck me?" 

"Of course,"   
"But?"   
He sighs, and kisses her again softly,   
"Will you sleep with me tonight? Just sleep. I don't want to be alone."   
Melanie kisses his check,  
"Of course. Let's go honey." 

Aaron is like a clingy teddy bear. He wraps one leg around Melanie's and rests his head on her chest. She runs her hand through his hair until she feels his breathing steady. 

The next morning Jack jumps onto the bed, waking both Aaron and Melanie.   
"We gotta go back to school shopping! We gotta go back to school shopping!"  
"Okay okay buddy, geez." Melanie says sitting up, "Let's go get ready." 

They brush their teeth and get dressed and then Melanie heads downstairs to start coffee.   
"Miss Melanie?" Jack asks, coming into the kitchen.   
"Yes Jack?"  
"Are you my new mommy?"   
She freezes,  
"What do you mean?"   
"I mean you were in my daddy's room."   
"I'm not your mommy buddy. I'm just miss Melanie." 

"You could be my mommy if you wanted. I really love you Miss Melanie."   
"I love you too Jack," she give him a hug and kisses his forehead, "Now go tell daddy that he's going to miss eggs and bacon if he doesn't get up soon." 

It's ten o'clock by the time they're heading out to the car,   
"Alright Jack, do you have your list?" Aaron asks.  
"Miss Melanie has it!"  
"I've got it. So first stop on our list, Starbucks."  
"You're going to turn into a caramel macchiato." He teases.   
Melanie sticks out her tongue,   
"And then target." 

Melanie had no clue it could so hard shopping for school supplies. Jack had literally spent twenty minutes picking out his backpack and lunchbox. They're grabbing markers and colored pencils when Aaron's phone rings,   
"Hotchner. Hey. Yeah I'm doing fine. No really. I'm buying Jack school supplies. I suppose if we must. How about that new grill on South at 1? Okay, see you then."

Jack sets the markers and crayons in the cart,   
"Who was that?" Melanie asks.  
"One of the guys I work with, He wants to meet for lunch and check on me."   
"I'm not dressed to meet your friends!"  
Aaron snorts,  
"Rossi is barely a friend."  
"So you have no friends? Because I'm pretty sure you're only ever with them or me!"   
"We're not friends?"  
"No, you're my boss remember," she says snarkily.   
"Melanie-"  
"Anyway, look at me!"

Aaron thinks she looks absolutely fine in a baseball cap and a tshirt and leggings but apparently that's not good enough because she drags them over to the clothes. She finds a sundress she likes and as he checks out she goes to change. 

He has to admit she looks much nicer in the bright purple dress, but he thinks she looks good in anything. They pack the bags in the car and then Melanie straps Jack in and hops in the car. She takes off her hat and grabs her comb out of her purse, brushing her hair. She brushes it out and applies some mascara and lipstick all by the time Aaron is even out of the parking lot.   
He stares at her eyes wide,  
"Girls are magic."  
"And don't you forget it," she says, waving her mascara wand at him. 

The pull up to the restaurant and get out, she grabs her purse and Jack's bag, going to get him out of the car. He grabs her hand and bounces through the door. There's a shorter man with thick dark hair and a thick beard standing right inside the doorway and Jack runs over,  
"Uncle Dave!"  
"Hey Jack! How are you buddy?"  
"I'm good! I'm hungry!" 

"Me too! How you doing Hotch?"   
"Good. Rossi this is my nanny Melanie, Melanie this is David Rossi."   
She reaches out his hand and he kisses it and flashes her a big beaming smile,  
"Nice to meet you darling."  
"Let's sit and eat, I'm starving," Aaron says. 

Before they even get to the table, Jack says,  
"I have to go potty!"  
"Me too. I'll take him." Melanie says, "Just order me a Coke please."  
"No problem." 

As soon as she's out of ear shot, Rossi leans in,  
"Holy shit she is hot."  
"Dave-"  
"She is! She looks like a legit girl from next door. Where did you say you got her name?"  
"JJ." Hotch hisses.  
Rossi laughs,  
"JJ is trying to play you! Are you hitting that?"   
"Rossi!"  
"Hey, I'm just wondering."   
"She is my sons nanny!"  
"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" 

"Daddy!" Jack runs back to the table and sits down next to his dad.   
"Looks like you're stuck next to me," Dave says as Melanie sits down.   
"No it's fine."  
"So Melanie, how do you like working for this old stick in the mud here?"  
"He's actually not that bad," she teases.   
"Well I'm sure he never lets you go out since you're always on the job but the team tries to get together at least once a month to go out and we're going out Saturday. You should come."!

"I don't know, I'll have to watch Jack,"  
"Come on, margaritas and dancing, what could be better?"  
"I don't know, considering I can't legally drink,"  
Rossi raises an eyebrow,  
"How old are you?"  
"Nineteen."   
Rossi widens his eyes at Hotch who just blushes and looks down,  
"Well think about it. It would be fun!" 

 

Somehow his team doesn't take no for an answer. JJ insists Jack stay with Henry and her babysitter and that they go out with them. Aaron really isn't the going out type but he manages some cologne and a black button down shirt and tight dark jeans. 

Melanie however is always the going out type and she dresses in a pale pink halter crop top, white distressed jeans and a pair of brown strappy wedges.   
"You look nice," Aaron says as she comes down the stairs.   
"Thank you. We have to do some shots before we leave because I cannot be sober while everyone else is drunk."   
"You can. I'm not drinking before we get there, I have to drive." 

"We can take an uber."  
"What the hell is an uber?"   
"It's like a cheap taxi, now get the tequila." 

Melanie is definitely tipsy when Aaron finally puts the alcohol away,  
"Okay, call an uber so we can go."  
"We could just stay, have fun by ourselves," she says suggestively, wrapping her arms around his waist.   
Aaron pulls away slightly, before kissing her on her cheek,  
"Let's go." 

The team is filled with extremely fun and unattractive people and it's unfair. They walk into the club and Aaron grabs her hand leading her to his team. JJ immediately pulls her into a hug and Rossi kisses her hand.   
"Melanie this is Derek, Penelope, Spencer and Emily."   
"Nice to meet you all," she slurs slightly.   
"Had a few pre game drinks I see," Derek teases.   
"You know it!" 

"Let's dance," Melanie says after awhile. They've made small talk and everyone's nurses a drink and JJ jumps up with her,   
"Yes!"

Aaron watches the girls slink off to the dance floor and Derek slaps him on the back,  
"So is Melanie single?"   
Aaron almost drops his drink,   
"What? Um, how would I know?"  
"You're her boss," Derek says confused.   
"She is very beautiful," Spencer says.   
"Beautiful? You mean hot as shit with a killer body?"   
"Hey you're talking about Aaron's girl here," Rossi says with a smirk. 

"Hotch, are you hitting that?" Derek says loudly.   
Aaron blushes,   
"I, I'm not, we, look it was only once."  
"You fucked her?!" Rossi all but shouts, "She's fifteen!"  
"She's nineteen," Aaron mumbles.   
"Oh my god," Spencer says.   
"I don't, are you guys like together?" Derek asks. 

"She wants to be, but I told her no."  
"Why?"  
"She's too young."  
"Actually, it is beneficial for older men to be with younger women. When you get old and sick she will be younger and able to take care of you and your children. It is shown that you will age slower as well."   
"Shut up." Hotch mumbles. 

"Listen, it's okay to be attracted to someone after Hayley. That doesn't mean you loved her any less. It's okay to move on," Rossi says.  
"Can we not talk about this?"   
"No we need to talk about how that," Derek nods towards the dance floor where Melanie is grinding on JJ, "wants you and you're turning her down. Trust me man, any guy would want to be in your position. Probably some women too. You need to get on that," he puts his hand on Hotch's shoulder, "Or I will." 

Hotch's blush has just gone down when Melanie stumbles over and throws an arm around him,   
"Hey boss," she sits on his lap and he's suddenly very aware of everyone's eyes on him,   
"Melanie, are you ready to go home?"  
"No I'm having fun!"  
"You're drunk,"   
"Am I embarrassing you?" She stage whispers.   
"Of course not."  
"Good!" She buries her face is his neck. 

It's less than an hour later that they stumble into an uber. Melanie's laughing and Aaron helps her in.   
"That was fun! I like your team!"  
"They like you too."  
"You didn't tell me everyone on your team was out of this world gorgeous."  
"Yeah Morgan is something."   
"Don't worry, you're still my favorite," she says, blinking up at him with those big eyes.   
"I want to kiss you," he mumbles. 

She leans forward and throws her arms around him, kissing him hard. She shoves her tongue in his mouth and climbs into his lap. They makeout for a couple minutes and then Aaron pulls away,  
"You're drunk."  
"I'm not that drunk. And you know I want you sober too, so don't play that card."   
Aaron kisses her forehead,   
"We can't," 

She glares,  
"I'm real tired of this back and forth bullshit. You want me to watch your kid and clean your house and lay in your bed and hold you when you're upset but you're constantly jerking me around. You can't have it both ways Aaron."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read the new tags and take care of yourself! I don't think the rape or violence is too graphic but just be careful. You can pick up next chapter if you'd rather

The next weeks are long and different. Jack starts school, so Melanie gets up, gets him ready, packs his backpack and lunch and gets him breakfast and drives him to school. She spends the day cleaning the mess from the morning, making dinner and doing extra chores. She's taking two online courses, so she does those too. 

She starts dinner and then goes to pick Jack up from school. She gets him a snack, makes sure he does his homework and eats dinner. They play and he gets in the bath and then goes to bed after. Aaron is home a lot more which Jack likes. 

Melanie tries hard not to get annoyed or feel sad about the lack or anything between her and Aaron because her feelings keep getting stronger and nothing happens. He's still funny and charming and he sometimes knocks on her door in the middle of the night, from nightmares. Even though she should tell him no and hurt him the way he hurt her, she always lets him in her bed and cradles him to chest and runs her hands through his hair until he falls asleep. 

It's the night before her birthday and her and Aaron are sitting out on the porch. It's cold for September and she's drinking chai tea,  
"You work regular hours tomorrow?"  
"As far as I know of yeah. Why?"  
"Jack and I are going out to dinner with my friend Krista, you should come."  
"Why?"  
"Cause it's my birthday and I should get what I want." 

Aaron stares at her,  
"It's your birthday? Why didn't you tell me? I could have got you something!"  
"I don't want anything unless it's your penis with a bow on it."  
He shoves her a bit,  
"Oh shut up. Of course I'm coming. What time?"  
"Six. We're just going to the Cheesecake Factory, nothing special."  
"I'll be there." 

"Krista, promise you're not gonna act funny."  
"I'm not gonna act funny. But I may ask if he can dick me down so I can see what the hell has you so whipped."  
"Seriously!" Melanie says.  
"Sorry, sorry."

They're drinking their drinks and Jack is coloring the menu when Aaron walks up. He's still wearing his suit and he hugs Melanie, whispering a happy birthday and then hugs Jack, he holds out a hand and Krista shakes it,  
"Nice to meet you."  
"You're late," Melanie says, taking a sip of her Coke.  
"It's your fault really. I had to stop and get a gift, so that made me late." 

 

Krista can't help but notice how flirty they are over dinner. They're arms brush and they bicker and tease and smile and laugh. The plates are cleared and they're waiting for dessert when Aaron hands her a small box,  
"Happy birthday."  
"You really didn't have to get me anything."  
"I really did, open it." 

Melanie blushes but opens the box to reveal a necklace. It has a diamond A and J on it and she smiles,  
"Aww, for my boys."  
"I hoped it was okay I put an A on there."  
She rolls her eyes,  
"Shut up. You'll always be my boy."  
"Melanie, we need to talk,"  
"Can we talk later? I just really want you to kiss me right now."  
His eyes flicker over to Krista who is smirking into her glass,  
"I don't-"  
"It's my birthday and that means I should get everything I want."  
He brushes a strand of hair out of her face,  
"It does."

Aaron carries Jack up to his bedroom because he'd fallen asleep in the car, and Melanie follows him. He tucks Jack into bed and then grabs Melanie's hand, leading her to his bedroom. The floor is covered in rose petals and there's candles everywhere.  
"Aaron-"  
"I want to make love to you," he murmurs, wrapping his arms around her waist,  
"Well who am I to stop you?" 

She stretches up on her tiptoes and he kisses her softly. She tangles her hands in his hair and his hands slide up her sides, pulling the shirt up with him, he tosses her shirt to the side and immediately goes to unclasp her bra. He squeezes her breasts and flicks her nipples and she moans. 

He pushes her back towards the bed and she scoots up so her head is propped up on the pillows. He pulls her pants and underwear down and reaches for a pillow. She hands him one, slightly confused and he tucks it under her hips, he settles on his stomach in front of her and opens her legs. 

She tenses immediately when she realizes what he's going to do and he looks up,  
"What's wrong?"  
"I, I've never, no ones ever-"  
"No ones ever eaten you out?" He asks raising an eyebrow.  
"No," she says quietly.  
"So you don't want me to?"  
"That's embarrassing," she says covering her face.

"Why baby? I wanna taste you. Want to make you come just using my tongue,"  
"Aaron,"  
"Come on, please," he asks, running his fingers up her thighs, "It'll feel good I promise." 

She finally moves her hands and gives a little mood and Aaron grips both of her thighs, pulling her closer. When his mouth first gets on her, she jumps and yelps. It feels amazing and she hates him. He knows how to swirl his tongue and fuck it into her and suck on her clit just right. Eventually she has to give in and wrap her hands in his hair and rock her hips against his face. He doesn't seem to mind, even when she clamps her thighs around his head and literally screams through her orgasm. 

She goes completely homeless and he crawls up her body, a cocky smirk on his face,  
"Good huh?"  
She rolls her eyes as he wipes his mouth which is glistening,  
"I hate you."  
"You wish you could hate me."  
"You're right, I do!"  
She gets up and pushes him so he is laying on his back. She wrestles his shirt off and then starts on unbuttoning his pants.  
"Condoms are in the drawer."  
"Good call," she crawls off of him and over to the edge of the bed so she can grab one and he can get his pants off. 

She crawls back on his lap, sitting on his thighs while she tears the condom open with her teeth and slides it on.  
"You're so sexy," he says pulling her in for a kiss, she nips at his lower lip,  
"I know," she teases.  
She grabs his cock and lifts herself up, so she can slowly start sinking down. 

She's not even half way down when she starts moaning,  
"You're so fucking big,"  
"Sorry," Aaron pants.  
"No, I love it but goddamn," she braces her hands on his chest and rocks lower and they both moan. Finally she just sinks all the way down until he bottoms out and she lets out a squeal,  
"Right there, come on," 

She rocks downward and Aaron bucks up and it's less than five minutes before she's coming again, screaming his name,  
"Fuck, you're amazing," she pants, collapsing against his chest.  
"You're the amazing one."  
He kisses her and turns her over on her back, and fucks into her. He avoids her gspot and chases his own orgasm but it's awhile before he comes. 

He collapses next to her and ties up the condom, tossing it on the floor before pulling her close,  
"I'm exhausted." He says into her hair.  
"Me too. Best birthday ever," she says kissing him softly. 

When Melanie wakes up, Aaron is gone.  
"Are you fucking kidding me?" She hisses, crawling out of bed. She's sore but definitely not like the first time they'd slept together and she grabs her phone, dialing Aaron's number, he's not doing this again.  
"Hotchner."  
"What the fuck?"

 

"Melanie?"  
"Yes! What the fuck is wrong with you?"  
"I got called in to work. There's a serial killer here. Trust me we were going to have breakfast and talk things through finally but I have to work this case. A man is kidnapping, torturing and killing black females sixteen to twenty. You need to be careful."  
She sighs,  
"So you're not just running away again?"  
"No. Of course not, last night was, amazing to say the least. Melanie I- shit I gotta go. Stay safe okay?"  
"I'll be fine. Bye."  
"Bye Melanie." 

Even though she knows Aaron's job is demanding she can't help but be slightly disappointed. She checks the weather and sees its going to be rainy. Again. She goes to wake Jack. Looks like it's another rainy Saturday inside. 

"Do you want a pizza for lunch Jack?" Melanie asks, searching for one in the frozen food aisle of Target.  
"Yeah! I want ice cream too!"  
"But we're making puppy chow."  
"Ice cream too! Please Miss Melanie?"  
"Fine. It's the next aisle over it, go find some you want." 

Aaron is in the middle of talking victimology with Reid when his phone rings. He doesn't recognize the number,  
"Aaron Hotchner."  
"Hello Mr. Hotchner, this is Rhonda Lewis. I am the store manager of Target on Walls St. I have your son here, he says he was here with his nanny but we've searched the whole store and there's no sign of her."  
"I'll, I'll be right there."  
"What's wrong?" Reid asks.  
"The unsub has Melanie." 

When Melanie wakes up its dark and freezing. She can't feel her hands because they're chained behind her,  
"What the fuck is this?"  
"Ah, you're awake."  
A man stalks towards her and she flinches back. He's huge, at least 6'3 and muscular, "You're even more gorgeous chained up."  
"Who the fuck are you?" 

"I'm Malcolm, what's your name honey?"  
"Fuck off."  
He strides over to her and yanks her to her feet by her hair,  
"You don't need to have an attitude. I asked what is your name."  
"Fuck you."  
That earns her a slap so hard she crumples to the ground.  
"You can either learn to be respectful, or get beat. Either works for me."  
"What do you want? I have money. Let me go and I can get you some."  
He snorts,  
"I don't want your money." 

"What do you want then?"  
"I want to break you. I want to mutilate your body until you beg me to let you die."  
"Fuck you."  
"That can be arranged sweetheart."  
He yanks her up and drags her across the room. 

She struggles and screams but he slams her body on the metal table, climbing on top of her and fastening metal cuffs around her wrists and ankles,  
"Look, you can let me go. I'm not going to tell anyone, it'll be okay I promise."  
"Your fear smells delicious darling."  
"My boyfriend is an FBI agent! He's going catch you before you can do anything to me."  
He laughs,  
"We better get started then." 

He starts unbuttoning his pants and she starts crying harder,  
"Please, just let me go-"  
He takes a pocket knife out of his pocket,  
"No, you wanna fuck me sweetheart, isn't that what you said? We're gonna make that happen for you,"  
"Please, God please,"  
"Keep crying and I'll give you something to cry about," he snaps.  
"Please don't-"  
She screams as he stabs the knife into her thigh and thrusts into her.

The days drag on. He comes in, rapes, sodimizes and taunts her. He burns her with cigarettes and cuts her with his knife. It's cold and dark at night and he rarely brings water. She doesn't know how long it's been, but he hasn't brought her any food yet. 

"Can I please have some water?" She asks, the next time he walks in.  
"I ain't your damn slave."  
"Then do something already! Kill me! You don't want to bring me stuff or take care of me? Fucking kill me then! Kill me you coward!" 

He slaps her so hard she flies into the concrete wall and screams. She can practically feel her cheekbone shatter and she falls to the ground screaming. He runs over to her and tries to grab her but she flinches away,  
"Don't, please, I'm sorry,"  
"I'm sorry Melanie. I didn't mean to, I'm sorry,"  
"Please," she sobs, "it hurts. Don't touch me. Please," she cries harder, body shaking.  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he mumbles, "I, I can get you some medicine."  
"I need a doctor."  
"No!" He says frantically, "no doctor! But I'll get you some medicine. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he says, running out. 

She spends the next few days drugged up. It's fine because she can't feel anything but he gets more rough with her, knowing she can't feel. He cuts her and burns her with cigarettes. It must not be fun for him when she doesn't scream in pain so he takes her off it. She screams and cries the whole time he rapes her and cuts deep wounds across her stomach. 

"Where are we on this guy?" Aaron demands.  
JJ stands up from the table,  
"Sir, you should be at home."  
"No. We've got to catch this guy."  
"You're personally involved-"  
"Damn right, he kidnapped my nanny!"  
"And you're not thinking clearly," Derek says, "You need to go home and let us do the work."  
"You don't understand, I love her! I was supposed to wake up in the morning and tell her I love her and now she could be dead!" 

"Can I please have some food," Melanie begs the next time Malcolm comes in.  
"What are you gonna do for me if I get you something?"  
"What do you want?"  
"You to come to me willingly."  
"That's never going to happen," she spits.  
"You know, the other girls, they got boring. Lost their fight. It doesn't seem like that's going to happen to you Mellie. Looks like we're going to be together for a long time."  
She grabs his collar and tries to shake him,  
"Let me go you sick son of a bitch!" 

He grabs her wrist and twists it off his shirt, turning it until he hears a loud crack. She screams and he laughs,  
"You're going to be with me as long as I say bitch." He yanks her up by her hair and holds her, unbuttoning his pants, "Bite and I'll break your other wrist," he spits. 

It gets to the point where the rape is the better of her stay. If she doesn't cry or act disgusted it's over fast and he doesn't get so angry. But there are bad days and good days. A good day is a few cuts, a bad day is burn marks and stab wounds and absolute hell. She wishes she would just die already. 

It's been three weeks. Three weeks since Melanie went missing and they've finally caught a break,  
"We've gotta get to that building," Derek says to the team.  
"I'm going,"  
"Okay Hotch. But you're not going in."  
"I need to see her!"  
"You're not coming in Hotch. We need to get her out of there safely, and you're not in the right mindset to do that." 

Melanie is laying on her back on her one blanket. Malcolm had slapped her in the cheek today and crushed her wrist further and cut along her hips- again. She's sore and tired and waiting for him to bring her some water, when she hears yelling. Suddenly someone throws open the door and she flinches back, throwing an arm over her eyes at the bright light,  
"Melanie?" She hears a voice ask.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I let you all wait so long I'm sorry. One part left. Maybe two.

She scoots back towards the wall, holding her hands over her eyes,  
"Who who are you?"  
Derek turns off the flashlight,  
"Melanie its Derek Morgan, from the FBI. I work with Aaron."  
"Aaron?"   
"Yeah, I'm gonna get you out of here."   
"JJ, I got her." He says into his walkie, "I need bolt cutters, now,"   
"We're going to get you out of here Melanie, I promise."   
"Really? You're real?" She says, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. 

"I'm real baby girl. I've got you," he took off his FBI jacket and laid it over her waiting for the bolt cutters. JJ runs into the room, handing Morgan the bolt cutters.   
"JJ," Melanie sobs.  
"We've got you honey," 

Derek cuts the chains off her arms and legs and puts the jacket on her, scooping her into his arms,  
"Let's go, we've got you, we've got you,"  
"Is the ambulance here?" He asks JJ.  
"They should be."   
"Let's go, we're getting out of here." 

Melanie squeezes her eyes shut against the bright sunshine but also tries to suck in breathes of fresh air. She hears someone shouting her name and she tries to look, but the sun is too bright.  
"Hotch, Hotch, wait, she's hurt,"  
"Aaron?" Melanie asks, turning towards the voice. It's Aaron, he looks like he hasn't slept in weeks and he probably hasn't, "Aaron!" She sobs, moving towards him. 

Derek hands her over to Hotch who kisses her head and sobs,  
"Oh my god. Oh my god."   
"Hotch, we gotta get her to the hospital. You can ride."   
They get Melanie in the ambulance and a nurse smiles kindly,   
"I'm going to give you an IV with fluids to start. Does anything hurt?"  
"Everything," she sobs.   
Hotch holds her hand gently,  
"You're safe now. You're safe now." 

She gets her own room and as soon as she's there they want to do an exam and record her injuries.   
"You can question her after she's been examined." Hotch says when JJ and Derek appear at the door.   
"We just wanted to check on you."   
"I'll be better when they give me some drugs," Melanie teases, though she's still crying.   
"We're right out here for you."  
"Thank you, Thank you so much. Aaron, you should go with him."   
"But I-"   
"Please. Call my friend Krista and tell her I've been found. Please. And I'd love some stuff from the house. Please."   
Aaron takes a deep breath but nods, leaning down to kiss her forehead,  
"I'll be back soon okay."   
"Okay sounds good. Thank you." 

Melanie sobs during the whole exam and as they list off her injuries. Malnutrition, dehydration, both eyes blackened. Right cheekbone broken, split lip. Bruises around her neck from being choked. Both collarbones covered in cigarette burns. Cuts all over her breasts, deep cuts and stab wounds on her stomach. Deep slashes on her hips and thighs. Broken right wrist and two broken fingers on her left hand. Twisted ankle and vaginal and anal bruising. 

It's not until she gets up to go to the bathroom that she realizes how fucking bad it is. Her face is black and blue and her body is covered in cuts and burn marks. She looks fucking disgusting. 

She spends a week in the hospital and between Krista , Aaron and the rest of the team she's never bored. She wears long sleeve shirts and long pants and eats every type of fast food she wants and refuses to talk to them about anything. They watch the tv constantly but only happy shows. 

When she gets to go home, Krista wants her to go with her,  
"Melanie I'm the closest thing to family you have, come with me."   
"All my stuff is always at Aaron's, and I don't want you to worry about me. I want you to live your life, that's why there's phones. Besides, Aaron is an FBI agent, I'll be safe."   
"He didn't keep you safe the first time!"   
"That's not fair."  
"But it's true! You were under his care and you were fucking kidnapped!"   
"Look. All my stuff is there. That's my home and that's where I'm going. I'm sorry Krista. I love you, but please."   
Krista sighs and kisses Melanie's forehead,  
"Call me when you get home." 

The bruises on Melanie's face are still pretty bad, but Aaron brings her home and she sees Jack for the first time in a month. Jack throws his arms around her crying and she kneels on the ground, crying to.   
"My little monkey," she sobs, running a hand through his hair.  
"Miss Melanie, Miss Melanie, I missed you."   
"I missed you too Jack. I missed you so much honey." 

"Melanie what do you want to eat?"  
"Chinese?"  
"Sounds good to me," Aaron says, "I'll call now." He says, leaving the two together. 

Melanie is curled up on the couch, Jack in her lap and watching Zootopia when Aaron comes back with the food. They eat out of the paper containers and Aaron tries to sit next to Melanie but she flinches away,   
"Please don't." Aaron nods firmly and moves away. 

Aaron can't tell if Melanie's depressed or just horrified by him. She wears long sleeves and long pants and he wonders what the hell the unsub did to her. He never read the case file and never asked. Melanie is amazing with Jack and seems to be doing well, though she doesn't leave the house without Aaron. But at the same time, any time Aaron gets too close to her she flinches and moves away. 

Aaron took an undetermined leave of absence and it hasn't seemed to be getting any better in the next three months. 

He'd just dropped jack off at school and he was going to ask Melanie if she wanted to go to the store with him. He didn't think before opening her door. She was standing there in a long sleeve shirt and underwear looking like a deer in headlights. Her thighs are covered in thick scars and he fights the urge to vomit.   
"What the hell are you doing in here?! Get out!"   
"Melanie-" 

She yanks on a pair of yoga pants,   
"What? There's no knocking anymore?!"   
"Melanie what's going on? You never want to hang out with me anymore. You jump when you see me, you barely talk to me-"  
"You mean I don't flirt and seduce you anymore? Being raped repeatedly kind of makes that less fun." She snaps.   
Aaron flinches back,  
"No, I meant, do you blame me for what happened to you? If you do I don't blame you. I should have protected you, made you understand the danger. I should have found you sooner," his voice is thick with tears, "fuck I'm so sorry Melanie." 

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course I don't blame you!"   
"Then what's the matter? What did I do?"   
"It's not you. It's me."   
"What about you?"   
"I'm disgusting. I'm damaged inside and out and you can see every single thing he did to me. I don't want you to see that."   
"I don't care about that."   
"You will. You want the carefree, young hot girl from before and that's just not who I am anymore."   
"Of course you are, you're beautiful."   
"Not anymore." 

"Melanie, listen to me. Before I got called in to this case, I was going to tell you I love you. I'm in love with you. That has nothing to do with how you look, it has to do with the connection we both have."   
She laughs bitterly,   
"You can't love me, not like this."   
"I can, I promise-" 

She rips off her shirt and kicks off her pants and underwear. Aaron takes in the cigarette burns, the deep cuts and stab wounds. Everything is healed, covered by thick light scar tissue. And it is everywhere. He feels like throwing up. Not because it's gross but because this is his Melanie.   
"You can't love this. No one can." She says, tracing the scar that goes from the top of her belly button to in between her breasts.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can add some one shots to this if y'all want (:

Aaron falls to his knees and holds out his arms like he's going to touch her but just can't.   
"Melanie, I love you. We can get through this together."   
"You're delusional Aaron! Look at me. You can't even touch me, can you?"  
"It's not," Aaron swallows hard, "It's not because of the reason you think."   
"Then why? Why can't you look me in the eye? Why can't you touch me? Because I'm ruined. He ruined me and you can't take it."   
"That's not true," he chokes, "I just, it's hard because I feel like this is my fault. I did this to you. I couldn't protect you. I couldn't save you. I let this happen."   
"Aaron, it's not your fault-"  
"It is. I should have protected you." 

Melanie runs a hand through his hair,  
"I don't blame you. The only person I blame is Malcolm, and that's the only person you should blame."   
"I-"  
"I'm serious Aaron."   
"Can I, can I give you a hug? Please?"   
Melanie inhales sharply,   
"I don't-"   
"I'll stop if you need me to, I just, need to hold you," he says softly, standing up. 

Finally Melanie nods and Aaron slowly wraps his arms around her. She's tense at first but relaxes as she breathes in his cologne,  
"I've got you. I've always got you." 

*** 

Derek's visiting his aunt in Florida when he sees them. He's walking down the board walk when he sees a familiar face. He's not sure at first and he flips his sunglasses up on the top of his head and squints. He's almost sure that it's Hotch, standing on the beach in swim trunks, holding one small child and tossing a football with Jack. He sees someone he assumes is Melanie, sitting on a towel, watching. 

Suddenly the football lands at his feet and he watches as Hotch jogs up to him. He stops, staring at Morgan eyes wide. He's aged, but not horribly, and there's a light skinned little girl with curly pigtails clinging to him,  
"Derek-" he says.   
"Hotch-"

Aaron had never gone back to work after Melanie had been kidnapped. He'd taken his pension and 401k and left. It wasn't long before Melanie told him she had to leave that place, and he wouldn't let her go alone. It was slow. She wore shorts and then short sleeves. Then one night she'd asked Aaron to go in the hot tub with her and actually wore a swimsuit. She'd sat next to him and placed a hand on his thigh and flirted and laughed and it felt like the old Melanie was back. They'd moved down to Florida and vowed never to have contact with anyone from their previous life. It had taken them almost a year to have sex again, and eighteen months after she'd been found, they were married. 

"Daddy, who's that?" The little girl asks pointing.   
"This is daddy's friend Derek. Derek, this is Willow."  
"Hi Willow,"   
"Hotch, how have you- how is she?"  
"She's good. We're good. Been married almost four years now. Willow's three and she pregnant again."   
Derek smiles,  
"Boy or girl?"  
"Boy. His name is Derek." 

Derek stares at him,   
"I should go say hi,"  
"I think it would be best if you didn't. I don't want to bring all that back."   
Derek nods,  
"I understand."   
"It's nothing personal."  
"No, I know. You're just protecting your own."   
"I do what I can," he smiles tightly.  
"It seems like you're doing good."   
Derek stares at where Melanie is now standing up and skipping rocks with Jack. 

"I'm trying," Hotch says, rubbing Willow's back, "Is there a case here?"  
"No, I'm just visiting family."   
"Good for you."  
"Yeah, I'll, I'll let you go."   
"Thank you, and Derek, thank you again for everything Derek."  
"Aaron, it's not problem. No matter how far you are, you're family."   
They share a brief hug and then he's gone, like he was never there at all. 

Hotch walks back down to the shore with the basketball. Melanie's hair is blowing in the wind and she's resting one hand on her protruding stomach,   
"Were you talking to someone up there?"   
Hotch sets Willow down and she runs to make a sandcastle with Jack,  
"Just a local who needed directions."   
She nods and he wraps an arm around her, pulling her close,   
"You almost ready to go home?"   
"Yeah, this guy's getting heavy."  
"Think he's gonna be late like Willow?"  
"He better not or there will be no more Hotchner babies."   
"Oh yeah right, you know you want more."  
"Only because we make the most beautiful babies ever."   
He kisses her nose,  
"That is true."   
He rests a hand on her stomach so he can feel his son kicking and he watches his two other kids play in the sand,  
"That is true."


End file.
